How long does it take to adjust to retirement: tips and mistakes to avoid

How long does it take to adjust to retirement?

How long does it take to adjust to retirement?

The answer is that it depends on how motivated you are to prepare yourself for all the changes that come with retirement.

The more you know about them, the better you’ll be able to adapt to your new life in retirement.

Finding purpose in your retirement is essential to making the most of your new life in retirement.

This article is based on the results of scientific studies as well as the direct experience of many people enjoying their retirement.

We’ll start by discussing the mistakes to avoid and then provide you with concrete tips to maximize your chances of a happy retirement.

The main mistakes to avoid before you retire

The main mistake to avoid is not wanting to prepare for your new life before retirement.

This important passage in your life is a major change that will call into question every element of your identity and therefore your existence.

The lack of preparation is even more negative when you retire much earlier than your partner.

Another major mistake consists in refocusing your life after work around a single activity such as vacation, family, a hobby, a job, a personal project, a person, etc.

Doing so can jeopardize your plans quite easily if you don’t have several options available to you.

Finally, a very common mistake is not organizing your finances well in advance of your retirement.

Consider taking all the necessary actions now to bring your plans to life and avoid unpleasant consequences ahead of time.

4 practical tips to make retirement more meaningful

1 – Mourn the loss of your last job

Giving meaning to your retirement also requires you to begin a process of mourning and therefore acceptance of reality and professional identity that are coming to an end.

In this sense, becoming aware of the end of your status as an employee, worker, executive or entrepreneur will allow you to free up mental space to take advantage of new opportunities that will arise.

The risk here is to pretend to accept this moment without being convinced and to consider this situation as easy to manage whereas it is often a psychologically painful change.

This is all the more true since the job you were doing was a great source of satisfaction for you.

It is therefore impossible to truly grieve without experiencing some psychological pain.

2 – Choose the meaning you want to give to this stage of your life

Scientific studies as well as the reality of people living a truly happy retirement show that to give meaning to your retirement, it is essential to organize your retirement around specific projects.

For this reason, organizing a real-life project becomes essential to experience a truly successful retirement.

Having projects or even dreams is essential to give a positive and motivating meaning to your life and to live well in the next stage of your life.

The first piece of advice is to have projects or goals that you really want to accomplish.

This means that you are responsible for the meaning you wish to give to this new chapter of your life and that the meaning you choose determines your very experience of retirement.

3 – Organize an action plan for your new projects and for the first few months of retirement

Once you have chosen your projects, you can begin to make them happen by verifying if they are in line with your most important values.

After that, you can start defining your projects by respecting the principles of a well-defined goal or smart: specific, measurable, attainable, achievable, and defined in time.

Doing this will allow you to project yourself more into your future.

In your action plan, you can also include the first few months of the transition to retirement.

These first months will be all the easier to live with if you have prepared your goals as well as possible, and evaluated your resources as well as the risks that could complicate or compromise your life in retirement.

4 – Don’t be alone in organizing and creating your new life in retirement

The transition to retirement is an extremely important and often overlooked change.

By following the principles outlined above, you will be able to start off on the right foot.

However, if you feel that you need to go further in planning and implementing your new life in retirement, you can hire a retirement coach.

Retirement coaching is a personalized approach that helps everyone make sense of their retirement.

You can take advantage of a free first session with a retirement coach by writing to us using our contact form, or by calling us at +33 6 69 46 03 79 or on WhatsApp at the same number.

If you are ready to take action, check out our life coaching packages:

Read this article in other languages

Français : Donner du sens à sa retraite en 2022 : conseils et erreurs à éviter
Italiano: Come affrontare la pensione: 4 consigli su come preparare la pensione